Workshop III

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Tech Exploration Workshop III: Voki, Jing & Blogger


Original Dates of Live Workshop: October 24, 2011 - November 9, 2011
High-tech Industry Area: Communication/Technical Writing
Education Area: Digital Tools for Teaching/ Communication


Before Starting
Please CLICK HERE to complete a brief survey so that we can get a feel for who is participating in and benefiting from our training.











Evolution of Communication Video















Overview







In this workshop you will create Voki, Jing and Blogger accounts and explore
ways you might use these tools or similar applications in the classroom as a
digital tool for instruction and communication. We will use these communication
tools for presenting information in engaging ways to positively impact the classroom environment and encourage interaction among students. Finally, you will examine
existing student-driven activities and adapt them or develop your own for students
to gain experience and an understanding of using communication tools effectively.











Tool Introduction







Blogger







Blogger is a tool for presenting information and getting feedback from specific
individuals or the public on the information you are presenting. Additionally, it is
a great platform for posting information and making simple web pages.















Voki







According to the Voki website: Voki is a tool that enables users to express
themselves on the web in their own voice using a talking character. You can
customize your Voki to look like you or take on the identity of lots of other
types of characters… animals, monsters, anime, etc. Your Voki can speak
with your own voice which is added via microphone, upload or phone. Voki
lives on your blog, social network profile, etc.

For this workshop, we will be creating a Voki and adding it to our Blogger
blogs.







Jing







Jing is a tool that you can use to take a picture or make a short video with
audio of what you see on your computer monitor.







Click Here to watch a brief video about Jing.









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Activity #1







Step 1: Sign in to Blogger using your Google account. If you do not have a Google account, you can sign up for one here.



voki_instructions.pdf



blogger_instructions.pdf







Step 2: Given the overview provided about blogging in the video, share your
ideas by making your first blog post answering the following questions.

  • What value do you believe blogging can bring to you and your students?
  • What challenges may you encounter using blogging with your students?
  • What activities can you create to engage your students in the learning process using blogs?







Step 3: Share your blog site by pasting the URL for your blog in the form below.



















CLICK HERE to access the URLs for the blogs that the participants in this
workshop have created. Access each other’s blogs here by clicking on the
blog links. Visit each other’s blogs and make comments/suggestions.









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Activity #2







Step 1: Create a Voki account.



voki_instructions.pdf







Step 2: Create and customize your Voki.







Step 3: Develop a script or outline that answers the following questions.

  • How could you use a Voki for instructing your students?
  • How do you think your students would react to your Voki?
  • What are some potential challenges to using Voki?







Step 4: Using Voki, answer the questions above and place your Voki into
a new post in your Blogger blog, following the instructions that you used to
post your initial blog posting. Review each other’s blogs and make comments/
suggestions.









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Activity #3







Step 1: Create a Jing account and download the free software to your computer.

Step 2: Use Jing to capture an image of your screen of your Voki, or create a screen cast. Paste the link into your blog posting.







Step 3: Create a blog posting by using the same processes that you used
above that answers the following questions:

  • What activities could you use Jing for in your instruction? Include both ways that you could use it and ways that your students could use it.
  • What are some potential challenges to using Jing in your instruction?











Activity #4







Step 1: Click Here to review the lesson plans provided on the Voki Site







Step 2: If there is a lesson plan that you could use provided on the site, summarize
the lesson plan using your Voki, include a link to the lesson plan, and write a review
of the lesson plan on your blog, indicating:

  • How you could use the lesson.
  • What would be needed to implement the lesson in your classes?
  • Ways you may customize the lesson plan to make it your own.


If there is not a lesson plan that you could use provided on the site, identify an
activity that you could use Voki for with your students and submit it to the Voki
website as a lesson plan. Provide a summary of the lesson plan using your
Voki, and include a title and description of your proposed lesson on your blog.







Step 3: Review and comment on each other’s blogs.











Reflect and Share







After completing Activities 1-4, post a reflection on your blog. Include your thoughts
and ideas for using Blogger, Voki and Jing with students for communication and
as a digital tool for teaching.











Evaluation







Thank you for your participation in ATLAST Tech Exploration Workshop III. Your
participation and feedback is very valuable to us.

Please complete the online survey at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/XVLVR96
to let us know how you feel about this professional development experience. The
information will be used to plan future workshops in this series.